About 3S²

Our Mission, Our Music

What we do.

Simply put, we make improvised chamber music. We create our music on the spot, from scratch or suggestions drawn from our audience. At the same time, we admire the skill of composers, performing classical masterworks alongside jazz and pop tunes. We believe that great music is great music, no matter where it comes from.

Classical roots.

We met while studying classical music in our undergraduate degree. As an escape from the busy semester, we blew off steam by playing music for each other off the cuff. As we gained experience and confidence, we began to seriously explore how classical music and improvisation intersect.

The "holy triangle."

Benjamin Britten spoke of music’s “holy triangle”—the relationship between performer, composer, and listener. Traditionally, classical music has broken these into distinct roles, played by different people. We aim to rebuild the triangle--performing together, composing together, and listening together, all in real time.

The Third Stream.

The term “third stream” was proposed by Gunther Schuller in the 1950s to describe music outside the twin streams of classical composition and jazz improvisation. Third Stream music enjoyed brief influence among jazz musicians, but never gained much ground in the classical world. Our name pays homage to Schuller's foresight, while our music plots a new course in its sound and diverse influences.

Meet the Musicians

William Hueholt

PIANIST

William Hueholt

PIANIST

William Hueholt is a classical pianist noted for his "keyboard prowess" (CNVC) in solo and collaborative repertoire. As a student, Hueholt puzzled his early mentors with his taste for new music, and insisted on performing Rzewski and Liebermann alongside the requisite Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Hueholt's interest in improvisation developed early on from his inability to stay focused while composing. In 2014, Hueholt attended the prestigious Mozarteum Sommerakademie in Salzburg, Austria, where he studied with Dr. Robert Levin, world-renowned musicologist, performer, and improviser. This profound experience encouraged Hueholt to pursue improvisation as an serious facet of his classical career. Since launching Third Stream Duo, Hueholt continues to perform actively as a soloist, most recently with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3. He currently lives in Tallahassee, FL with his girlfriend and their two huge dogs, Lionel (an angel) and Toby (a monster).

Hailing from Aberdeen, North Carolina, Tyler Young began serious saxophone study as a sophomore in high school. With musical tastes that spanned from J.S. Bach to John Mayer, Tyler found strong interests in melody, harmony, and rhythm from many different sources and influences. While studying under a prominent clarinetist during his high school years, Tyler found that his love for the saxophone repertoire was heavily paralleled by his love for jazz—specifically the improvisation of melody and harmony in different musical styles. This hunger for different musical perspectives led him to study at several different institutions and music festivals such as the Brevard Music Center and National Music Festival, and with many personalities such as Mr. David Newton, Dr. Xin Gao, Dr. Steven Stusek, Mr. Patrick Meighan, Dr. Katherine Weintraub, and currently, the great Joseph Lulloff. Tyler is currently residing in Lansing, Michigan, pursuing his DMA at Michigan State University.

BA, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2012-2014)
BA, Florida State University (2014-2016)
MM, Michigan State University (2017-2019)
DMA, Michigan State University (in progress)

News

Our featured improvisation today is our take on Mary Had A Little Lamb, recorded at Florida State University during our recent residency. I love improvising on this melody for a few reasons. First, it’s familiar […]